Best Religious Building Architecture
He engineered the perfect placement of brick and stone, built ingenious hoists and cranes (among some of the most renowned machines of the Renaissance) to carry an estimated 70 million pounds hundreds of feet into the air, and designed the workers' platforms and routines so carefully that only one man died during the decades of construction--all the while defying those who said the dome would surely collapse and his own personal obstacles that at times threatened to overwhelm him. King also offers a wealth of fascinating detail that opens windows onto fifteenth-century life: the celebrated traditions of the brickmaker's art, the daily routine of the artisans laboring hundreds of feet above the ground as the dome grew ever higher, the problems of transportation, the power of the guilds. Ross King is the highly praised author of Leonardo and The Last Supper, Brunelleschi's Dom e (the Book Sense Nonfiction Book of the Year in 2000), Michelangelo and the Pope's Ceiling , The Judgment of Paris , Machiavelli: Philosopher of Power , and two novels, Ex Libris and Domino .
Reviews
Find Best Price at Amazon"I had the opportunity to attend a talk by Mr. Ross a couple weeks ago and it was so interesting that I purchased this book a couple days later."
"The prize was designing what would become the signature architectural landmark of Florence, Italy--the octagonal Dome of Santa Maria del Fiore. To put it into perspective, the dome would rise from an opening 18 stories above the street, and top out at the equivalent of a 38-story building. Filippo Brunelleschi won the contest by challenging the other competing architects to make an egg stand on its end. The inner dome was built first and like the frame of an automobile contained a series of horizontal and vertical supports that held everything together. The horizontal supports consisted of a series of sandstone and wood beams and iron chains that circled the dome like the hoops of a barrel, to keep the structure from spreading outward. Couple with the circular horizontal supports, the entire structure was a lattice work of cross members embedded within the brick-and-mortar walls. Brunelleschi did not have this luxury, as there were not enough trees in all of Tuscany to build the necessary scaffolding to reach the heights that were presented. With no visible means of support (and not understanding the law of compression), they believed the entire structure would collapse from its own weight and they would fall to their death. The reversible gear allowed loads to ascend and descend without the need of turning around the oxen team each time the direction was changed. Brunelleschi created a unique external covering system that consisted of tiles designed specially for easy assembly and maintenance. They are not well drawn, and in some cases not clear, such as the brick herringbone pattern used to build the dome: the illustration is small and difficult to figure out."
"This book was Amazing, especially for Engineers!"
"My main critique is that, while the prose was lucid and explanatory, I would have appreciated more photographs and -- especially -- diagrams and schematics depicting the architectural innovations employed (as well as rejected) in the building of the Santa Maria del Fiore's magnificent dome."
"Perhaps because I love Florence, have stood spellbound looking up at the dome of the church of Santa Maria del Fiore or perhaps because the story of how a man's dream of building a dome without buttresses or wooden centering (wooden support posts) actually came to pass."
"We are off to Florence tomorrow for two months, and this was the perfect primer...Ross discourses on the Times, people, customs, etc."
This book is a project of the Historic Rural Churches of Georgia organization, whose mission is the preservation of historic rural churches across the state and the documentation of their history since their founding. With the assistance of an outstanding troupe of volunteer photographers, Seals and Hart have done a magnificent job in bringing to us a beautiful selection of rural churches in all their glory―or, as is sometimes the case, faded glory. This beautifully illustrated and engagingly written book is an indispensable resource for anyone interested in this vanishing part of Georgia’s landscape and a must-read for anyone seeking to understand what it means to be a Georgian and an American. (W. Todd Groce, president and CEO, Georgia Historical Society author of Mountain Rebels: East Tennessee Confederates and the Civil War, 1860-1870 ). The sight of an old church strikes a chord deep within us, as if the hymns and prayers that rose in them transformed the structures themselves into sanctums. Surely we have entered sacred ground with this rich and lovely book of photographs of Georgia's historic rural churches. Erin Kirk New’s elegant design uses the large format well and enhances the plethora of pictures with just enough text of sufficient size to tell this multilayered story without keeping the congregation overlong.
Reviews
Find Best Price at Amazon"I was more disappointed that Antioch Christian Church was not in this book."
"I was disappointed that my home church, The Dickey Presbyterian Church, was not featured in the book."
"It is a beautiful historical photographic record."
"This book has achieved several awards because of the quality of the photography and the interesting reading of the history of these churches."
"A beautiful book and will be a delight for those who love Georgia history, old churches, local history, and/or wonderful photography."
"Beautiful book."
"My friend was well pleased with this chronic;aled history of churches in Georgia."
"The histiry of these churches included in the book is comprehensive and fascinating as well."
Accompanied by more than three hundred photographs, many in color, this visual tour of the great Romanesque and Gothic cathedrals of Europe journeys throughout France, England, Germany, Italy, and Spain, providing a close-up look at architectural, sculptural, and stained-glass details of each cathedral. The main attraction here is the inclusion of 270 crisp, oversized color plates, which capture Gothic structures from every angle, supplemented by historic, undated photos of cathedrals and their artworks and decorations. of Munich), a noted German authority on medieval and Baroque architecture, covers five to eight cathedrals each in France, England, Spain, Germany, and Italy.
Reviews
Find Best Price at Amazon"The photos are fantastic, the text is informative, but the real stars of the shows are the cathedrals themselves, which I consider the most wonderful examples of architecture created by man."
"Very big, no so big like in comparisson with "Cathedrals and Churches of Europe", but its wider then that one !"
"From these pictures I was able to enjoy many of the finer details that you cannot grasp in person, craning your neck at the magnificent vaulted ceilings."
"The book is very large and heavy, but that's a good thing because it packed with information, maps, and lots of beautiful pictures."
"Nice book."
"beautiful-bought it for a gift-know they will enjoy."
"A good overview of many of the great Cathedrals of Europe."
"Beautiful Book!"
Best Religious Buildings Architecture
On August 19, 1418, a competition concerning Florence's magnificent new cathedral, Santa Maria del Fiore--already under construction for more than a century--was announced: "Whoever desires to make any model or design for the vaulting of the main Dome....shall do so before the end of the month of September." He engineered the perfect placement of brick and stone, built ingenious hoists and cranes to carry an estimated 70 million pounds hundreds of feet into the air, and designed the workers' platforms and routines so carefully that only one man died during the decades of construction--all the while defying those who said the dome would surely collapse and his own personal obstacles that at times threatened to overwhelm him. Its span of more than 140 feet exceeds St Paul's in London and St Peter's in Rome, and even outdoes the Capitol in Washington, D.C., making it the largest dome ever constructed using bricks and mortar. He tells a compelling, informed story, ranging from discussions of the construction of the bricks, mortar, and marble that made up the dome, to its subsequent use as a scientific instrument by the Florentine astronomer Paolo Toscanelli. Walker was the hardcover publisher of Dava Sobel's sleeper smash, Longitude, and Mark Kurlansky's steady-seller Cod: A Biography of the Fish that Changed the World. British novelist King (previously unpublished in the U.S.) compiles an elementary introduction to the story of how and why Renaissance Italian architect Filippo Brunelleschi (1377-1446) designed and oversaw the construction of the enormous dome of Florence's Santa Maria del Fiore cathedralAdesigning its curves so that they needed no supporting framework during construction: a major Renaissance architectural innovation.
Reviews
Find Best Price at Amazon"There is much to recommend about King's discussion of the construction of the done over the Florentine basilica: his detail of early renaissance Florence is first-rate, the competition between Brunellesci and Ghiberti (not just over the dome, but thoughout their professional lives), the vibrant cross-section of brilliant, talented artists that was Florence in the 15th century all make for engaging reading."
"I had the opportunity to attend a talk by Mr. Ross a couple weeks ago and it was so interesting that I purchased this book a couple days later."
"The prize was designing what would become the signature architectural landmark of Florence, Italy--the octagonal Dome of Santa Maria del Fiore. To put it into perspective, the dome would rise from an opening 18 stories above the street, and top out at the equivalent of a 38-story building. Filippo Brunelleschi won the contest by challenging the other competing architects to make an egg stand on its end. The inner dome was built first and like the frame of an automobile contained a series of horizontal and vertical supports that held everything together. The horizontal supports consisted of a series of sandstone and wood beams and iron chains that circled the dome like the hoops of a barrel, to keep the structure from spreading outward. Couple with the circular horizontal supports, the entire structure was a lattice work of cross members embedded within the brick-and-mortar walls. Brunelleschi did not have this luxury, as there were not enough trees in all of Tuscany to build the necessary scaffolding to reach the heights that were presented. With no visible means of support (and not understanding the law of compression), they believed the entire structure would collapse from its own weight and they would fall to their death. The reversible gear allowed loads to ascend and descend without the need of turning around the oxen team each time the direction was changed. Brunelleschi created a unique external covering system that consisted of tiles designed specially for easy assembly and maintenance. They are not well drawn, and in some cases not clear, such as the brick herringbone pattern used to build the dome: the illustration is small and difficult to figure out."
"This book was Amazing, especially for Engineers!"
"My main critique is that, while the prose was lucid and explanatory, I would have appreciated more photographs and -- especially -- diagrams and schematics depicting the architectural innovations employed (as well as rejected) in the building of the Santa Maria del Fiore's magnificent dome."
Best Architecture History & Periods
On August 19, 1418, a competition concerning Florence's magnificent new cathedral, Santa Maria del Fiore--already under construction for more than a century--was announced: "Whoever desires to make any model or design for the vaulting of the main Dome....shall do so before the end of the month of September." He engineered the perfect placement of brick and stone, built ingenious hoists and cranes to carry an estimated 70 million pounds hundreds of feet into the air, and designed the workers' platforms and routines so carefully that only one man died during the decades of construction--all the while defying those who said the dome would surely collapse and his own personal obstacles that at times threatened to overwhelm him. Its span of more than 140 feet exceeds St Paul's in London and St Peter's in Rome, and even outdoes the Capitol in Washington, D.C., making it the largest dome ever constructed using bricks and mortar. He tells a compelling, informed story, ranging from discussions of the construction of the bricks, mortar, and marble that made up the dome, to its subsequent use as a scientific instrument by the Florentine astronomer Paolo Toscanelli. Walker was the hardcover publisher of Dava Sobel's sleeper smash, Longitude, and Mark Kurlansky's steady-seller Cod: A Biography of the Fish that Changed the World. British novelist King (previously unpublished in the U.S.) compiles an elementary introduction to the story of how and why Renaissance Italian architect Filippo Brunelleschi (1377-1446) designed and oversaw the construction of the enormous dome of Florence's Santa Maria del Fiore cathedralAdesigning its curves so that they needed no supporting framework during construction: a major Renaissance architectural innovation.
Reviews
Find Best Price at Amazon"I had the opportunity to attend a talk by Mr. Ross a couple weeks ago and it was so interesting that I purchased this book a couple days later."
"The prize was designing what would become the signature architectural landmark of Florence, Italy--the octagonal Dome of Santa Maria del Fiore. To put it into perspective, the dome would rise from an opening 18 stories above the street, and top out at the equivalent of a 38-story building. Filippo Brunelleschi won the contest by challenging the other competing architects to make an egg stand on its end. The inner dome was built first and like the frame of an automobile contained a series of horizontal and vertical supports that held everything together. The horizontal supports consisted of a series of sandstone and wood beams and iron chains that circled the dome like the hoops of a barrel, to keep the structure from spreading outward. Couple with the circular horizontal supports, the entire structure was a lattice work of cross members embedded within the brick-and-mortar walls. Brunelleschi did not have this luxury, as there were not enough trees in all of Tuscany to build the necessary scaffolding to reach the heights that were presented. With no visible means of support (and not understanding the law of compression), they believed the entire structure would collapse from its own weight and they would fall to their death. The reversible gear allowed loads to ascend and descend without the need of turning around the oxen team each time the direction was changed. Brunelleschi created a unique external covering system that consisted of tiles designed specially for easy assembly and maintenance. They are not well drawn, and in some cases not clear, such as the brick herringbone pattern used to build the dome: the illustration is small and difficult to figure out."
"This book was Amazing, especially for Engineers!"
"My main critique is that, while the prose was lucid and explanatory, I would have appreciated more photographs and -- especially -- diagrams and schematics depicting the architectural innovations employed (as well as rejected) in the building of the Santa Maria del Fiore's magnificent dome."
"Perhaps because I love Florence, have stood spellbound looking up at the dome of the church of Santa Maria del Fiore or perhaps because the story of how a man's dream of building a dome without buttresses or wooden centering (wooden support posts) actually came to pass."
"We are off to Florence tomorrow for two months, and this was the perfect primer...Ross discourses on the Times, people, customs, etc."
Best Historic Architectural Preservation
He has set a high standard for what all historic house museums strive for: magnificently preserved buildings and grounds, engaging interpretation, and--perhaps most challenging of all--economic self-sufficiency. "If George Vanderbilt did nothing more than engage the two most prominent and storied designers of their time, architect Richard Morris Hunt and landscape architect Frederick Law Olmsted, to carry out his vision of a European estate in the southern Appalachians, he would have created an American icon. Covington defends the Biltmore owner's model of private, for-profit historical preservation against charges of commercialism leveled by nonprofit preservationists, repeats his complaints about inheritance taxes, extols his entrepreneurial daring, salutes his Biltmore restoration projects ("surpassed what many had seen anywhere") and raves about "customer satisfaction reports... comparable to those enjoyed by a five-star resort."
Reviews
Find Best Price at Amazon"Very interesting."
"Had to get after the visit."
"Great in-depth understanding of how Biltmore Estate, Biltmore Village and Asheville came to flourish with under the watchful eyes of family dedicated to preserving the legacy of the iconic house and grounds."
"This wonderful book about the Biltmore Estate shows some photos that I had never seen before, and really tells the story of how it was conceived and built -- then lived in -- then restored and opened as a true USA treasure Estate!"
"If you've visited Biltmore, walked it's halls, climbed the Grand Staircase, savored the Library, and said "Wow" more than once, then this book is for you."
"Great read."
"If you love to feel like are behind the scenes you will love this book."
Best History of Italy
In the second volume of his epic trilogy about the liberation of Europe in World War II, Pulitzer Prize winner Rick Atkinson tells the harrowing story of the campaigns in Sicily and Italy. The Italian campaign's outcome was never certain; in fact, Roosevelt, Churchill, and their military advisers engaged in heated debate about whether an invasion of the so-called soft underbelly of Europe was even a good idea. Amazon Best of the Month, November 2007 : Topping a Pulitzer Prize-winning effort is tough; finding originality in a World War II narrative is even tougher. Atkinson surpasses his Pulitzer-winning An Army at Dawn in this empathetic, perceptive analysis of the second stage in the U.S. Army's grassroots development from well-intentioned amateurs to the most formidable fighting force of World War II. The battles in Sicily and Italy developed the combat effectiveness and the emotional hardness of a U.S. Army increasingly constrained to bear the brunt of the Western allies' war effort, he argues.
Reviews
Find Best Price at Amazon"The Italian campaign cost a great number of lives, and Atkinson doesn't disrespect their sacrifice; however, I had a difficult time connecting with the flow of events - the terrain, the battles, and the personalities of the different "players" - American, German, and Italian...I thought the sidelight on Mussolini was great, but too short...and the disposition of troops and the campaign after Rome / D-day was non-existent - although the Italian campaign continued to the end of the war..."
"I knew of the slow progress Allied forces made in awful winter conditions, with the Germans holding out for months and months from brutal attacks amid heavy Allied losses. I was filled with an immense respect for those men, many of whom were scarcely a year or two older than I was at the time in '43 and '44. Imagine my shock of recognition, and my gratitude for Rick Atkinson magnificent second World War II book, "The Day of Battle: The War In Sicily and Italy, 1943-1944". Having seen that beautiful and awfully forbidding terrain, I found his descriptions more than adequate, they are unmatched in their narrative power to inform and to engage the reader emotionally and spiritually in recalling what mere human beings, on both sides, were able to will themselves to accomplish in a great moral cataclysm."
"We see clearly the command friction between U.S. and British civilian and military leaders along with the rigors faced by the common troops involved in the ground war and a slight glimpse at the first real use of heavy bombers in providing tactical air support to overwhelmed ground forces along with the travails faced by naval forces supporting the operations."
"All aspects of the conflict from the strategy, tactics, the politics, logistics and the daily grind on everyone, from the multi-star generals to the dog face infantry trooper on the line, is exceptionally well researched and the picture painted with vivid clarity."
"If I have any qualms it is the length of it and the sheer incompetence of our allied commanders, especially in North Africa and Italy."
"As I read the text, I would like to follow along on the maps, but having a kindle makes that difficult."
Best Residential Architecture
With their idyllic settings, unique architecture and cozy interiors, the Cabin Porn photographs, are an invitation to slow down, take a deep breath, and feel the beauty and serenity that nature and simple construction can create. Photographer Noah Kalina 's editorial work has been featured in New York Magazine , Esquire , and, Food & Wine .
Reviews
Find Best Price at Amazon"Remember that time you read Walden your sophomore year and vowed you'd stop wearing deodorant and live a life closer to nature only to get sucked into that marketing internship because Uncle Bob owed your mom and favor and now you're an account executive at a nameless corporation that you secretly hate and every now and then you look wistfully out the window and dream of what it would be like to live (you know like really live, man) out in the forest where you chop wood and catch fish and make moonshine and wear clothes that last forever never go out of style and you wake up at dawn and howl at the moon at night and your house is this beautiful cabin that you built yourself with a pot of strong coffee on the stove and dried elk meat in the storehouse and you have everything you ever wanted as you puff your pipe on the porch during a warm summer night and you breath the cool air and the fireflies illuminate the dusk and you pause and you remember the exact instant when you decided to press reset on your old life and start over again."
"The book is stunning."
"Gave as a gift to a family member who was building his own cottage."
"Great book drafted up from a great website!"
"Great book with tons of good information and pictures!"
"I love the idea, and the title, but as others have said, the printing quality is poor, as was the choice of size."
Best Landmarks & Monuments
Now, broken and ruined, these places are documented in Christopher's book, Abandoned America: The Age of Consequences . Exploring sites like the charred remains of the Hotel Do De, the rusted cells of the Essex County Jail Annex, the sublime majesty of the Church of the Transfiguration, or the eerie and dilapidated remnants of the New Castle Elks Lodge, the work spans architectural treasures left to the elements and then all too often lost forever.
Reviews
Find Best Price at Amazon"Unfortunately, when I opened the book from the cardboard mailer, it is damaged quite well near the spine."
"As a fan of Matthew Christopher's work, I've been waiting a long time for this book."
"Not only is the hard back cover thick and give you a sense of the detail and concern that only quality things of the past adhere to but inside you get a rich display of Matthew Christopher's mind blowing ability to capture the rustic in all venues before they finally are put to rest forever. Within this book you NEVER get the sensation of images being distorted with photoshop."
"A number of the places photographed were either razed or gutted shortly after the photos were taken, so the photographs themselves have taken on a life as the last reminder of these sometimes hallowed and desperately neglected places."
"There are books and there are books that tell a real story. Consequences, what happens should matter and the pictures in this book paint a picture of what happens when people turn a blind eye to the buildings falling apart around them."
"Paying homage, even as these places fall into disrepair from neglect he manages to honor the paths once chosen and seemingly, easily discarded."
"I read the whole thing in one sitting because the content is THAT great!!"